I was very intrigued to read Jim’s book, having followed his YouTube channel for a while. I was really impressed with the quality of the writing, and the amount of amusing anecdotes Jim shared. There were facts on a variety of different topics, admittedly some a lot more interesting than others; the great thing here however is that there’ll be something for everyone.

Jim came across so well in this book, as a really approachable and warm person with a lot to give. The only downside of the book (now I’m not prudish and I am nearly 30 so it’s not even an age thing) was that there were a few too many references to Jim’s penis. The stories were all mildly entertaining, but I couldn’t help thinking that it was a little too much ‘TMI’.

All in all though this was an enjoyable read which I whizzed through within a day.

147 Things is a surprising five-star read. I will be honest I picked this up as I thought I would finally have something to talk to my husband about. (He’s a fan of the dude). I didn’t expect much, but it blew me away, don’t know if I will be watching the youtube but you never know. If it’s as funny and interesting as this, maybe I will have to check it out. It’s filled with funny anecdotes and facts that had me searching for more. Well done on a great read.

You've probably heard of Jim Chapman from various Youtube channels; He co-runs The Lean Machines, appeared on Zoella videos and his sisters videos who also are a big Youtube name, Pixiwoo.

I wasn't entirely sure how this book would be formatted, from the book description I was thinking 147 things that helped or related to his own life, but the book has lots of random facts in them and a few stories about the facts relating to him.

I didn't read every single fact because some of them went on for a few pages and I wasn't too interested in them, but I told my partner a few of the facts and he found them interesting (he likes to tell me random facts about things as well). I liked the drawings in the book, they were simple drawings but relating to the facts.

If you like learning a few random facts about the world and life then give this book a go!

Such a fun little book! Love Jim and Tan and this book was like a delightful trip into their life!

A really fun read filled with loads of interesting facts and laugh out loud moments.Oh and Jim I also have a massive fear of belly buttons that my family torment me about constantly

147 Things is a non fiction book filled with random facts about the origin of life, human quirks and other things. Written with warmth by a popular you tuber it is an ideal read for nerds and non nerds.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Jim perfectly explains all the facts and gives more detail to each thing. It's a perfect book to update your general knowledge!

Quirky, fun and educational. A real treat for those boring train journeys - Chapman is a star in the making.

I am a fan of Jim and so when I heard he was bringing out his own book (like lots of other youtubers at the moment) I was excited to give it a try. The book is different to other YouTuber books I have read in that it is full of interesting facts and opinions about everything from the human brain to whether or not ghosts exist. The thing I loved most about this book is that if you watch Jim's YouTube channel, it is very easy for this book to read in Jim's voice because it is written as he speaks. Having said this, I don't think it's entirely necessary that you know who Jim is to read this book either. It would make a great gift for someone who just loves fun facts. I loved seeing the illustrations scattered throughout this book too - it all reflects on Jim's personality!

This book is very much like the TV show QI. They are not mindblowing facts, it's information that's readily available online. It's simply facts that he's picked up along the way, and instead of storing them in that part of our brain called "useless facts", he's just shoved them into a book. I'm not a fan of Youtubers releasing novels for this reason, it's very desperate. Not a fan, sorry.

This is a pleasant enough book written in a most engaging tone. The author has one degree, and half a masters in I'm not sure which subject but it is perhaps unfortunate that his first example of the things he knows was on statistics and probability. As a former data analyst and with a background in social research, the argument felt shallow to me at best.

The idea of the first story is that it's a very miraculous thing that you are you and that the odds of you being you were to be calculated, they would be astronomical. This is simply untrue. Not because there aren't an astronomical other possibilities that could have occurred but instead life chose this path, but because there is no other path.. You are 100% certain to have been you because you are already you.

Probabilities are funny things and easily misunderstood. For example, he says "I told my wife that the chances of her existing were 1 in 10 to the power of 2,685,000 she said, 'I don't understand what you're going on about and it scares me to think about that.' This is a similar approach to someone trying to understand etymology and linguistics by looking through the dictionary.

It doesn't scare me to think about because this isn't the way reality works and it isn't a useful approach for inference either.

Relationships between events occurring can be categorised by the chance of them occurring at random. So the reasoning isn't whether she would have occurred, but whether things would have happened by chance.

Here is a better way of looking at existence. If you begin at the beginning of time, it takes too long, so let's begin with the sperm and the egg. The probability is not of one specific sperm -- you -- reaching the egg; instead, the probability is that any sperm reaches the egg because any such union would have produced --you--. It doesn't even have to be that precise ejaculation, it could be any between that couple. The only thing that could be you is the union between that egg. Your parents conceived a baby, which was gestated and then born and became 'you'. Any baby would have been 'you' to your parents. The DNA sequencing of the baby that is 'you' only became determined after you were born.

And what about the probability that your mother would have met your father? Well, they only became your mother and father because they had already met. There is no uncertainty as to whether it would have happened after it happens.

Statistical models test whether an event could have occurred at random and you then get the probability of that event. When there is a relationship, however, the odds are not astronomical. And that is the difference between a shallow understanding of events and an understanding of reality that allows you to predict the future or understand why events occur.

That's not to say that it's the author's lack of education that leads to this type of trivia - there are plenty of PhD-wielding educated people that stick to this type of reasoning too http://www.reasons.org/articles/what-are-the-odds-of-you-being-you. It's probability worked backwards.

It's trivia for the sake of trivia and not something I enjoy.

The book can be amusing but it was not for me.